


What a Dream May Bring

by MaskedMelody



Category: Anastasia (1997), Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/M, Fate & Destiny, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-02-23 19:38:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13197141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaskedMelody/pseuds/MaskedMelody
Summary: Gleb Vaganov had never believed in soulmates. He'd scoffed at those who spoke longingly of waking from a dream to find the initials of destiny etched on their skin. He was a young man on the verge of greatness. What use did he have for a silly legend?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This show is my latest obsession. I got to see it in November before Ramin Karimloo left, and it was stunning. 
> 
> While there are several incredibly talented actors who have played or could play these roles, I picture the OBC as all the characters listed. 
> 
> Anything you recognize, I don't own.

          The dream surprised Gleb. His parents, while happy together, were not soulmates. He didn't know of anyone who had one, for that matter. He'd heard rumors, of course, but they were more legend than fact. He'd laughed at talk of a dream more vivid than life and a searing pain as the initials of fate burned into the skin.

          He wasn't laughing anymore.

          The eyes he'd seen... He didn't know if it was the pull of his supposed destiny, but he knew he could gaze into their crystalline blue depths for the rest of his life. They sparked with an enthralling vibrancy. They told of spirit and warmth. And love.

          A roar of pain jerked him from his admiration. He stumbled out of bed and went to the small looking glass. He tore his nightshirt off, barely catching the fading glow of his brand. Left were three letters, written in an elegant, feminine script.

           _ANR_

He stifled a sigh of disappointment. He didn't know anyone with those initials. While he was in no rush whatsoever to settle down, it would have been nice have some certainty about his newly revealed destiny. How was he supposed to find her when all he had was three letters and the memory of her eyes to identify her? Was he meant to somehow pursue this phantom maiden? Or would continuing as he had been eventually bring them together? 

          Gleb groaned and hung his head, bracing himself on the washstand. It was all too much. Far too many questions and agonizingly few answers. 

           He put on his nightshirt again and slipped under the sheets. The entire soulmate business was ridiculous. He scoffed at his foolishness even as his fingers absently traced the sloping letters on his skin. A soulmate he might have, but there was no point in wasting his time pining after some girl he'd never even met. Yet, as he fell back asleep, he dreamed of nothing but sparkling blue eyes.

          As time passed, Gleb tried to force himself to forget about his soulmate. He grew tired of his heart stuttering whenever he saw a girl with blue eyes only to find that they were entirely wrong. He loathed himself for the disappointment that swelled within him, hated that weakness. He had other matters to focus on. He would be a soldier soon, after all. He would have enlisted the day he came of age, but his father had forbidden it. "Not yet, my son. Soon, the world will change, and we will need men like you to rebuild it. Just not yet."

          Gleb didn't understand what his father meant by that, but, much as he craved the soldier's uniform, he respected his father's wishes. And if the way his father was acting was any indicator, that day was almost at hand.

          It was on a rare night that his father was home early that everything changed. Dinner, normally at least a pleasant affair, was tense. Gleb's father barely spoke, ignoring any of Gleb's attempts to draw him out.

          As Gleb helped his mother clear the table, he whispered, "Is Father alright?"

          His mother sighed. "Give us a moment, Glebka."

          "But - " A raised eyebrow was enough to silence him. "Yes, mother. He shuffled outside reluctantly, but he left the door cracked. He was barely able to hear the tense whispers inside.

          "- tonight?"

          "Yes." Gleb had never heard his father's voice sound so cold.

          "Ilya - "

          "I will not have it," Ilya hissed. "The orders have come, and they must be obeyed."

          Gleb heard the telltale click of a gun being loaded. His heart raced with excitement, even as a dull ache flared in his chest. He peeked through the crack and saw his father shrug into his dark overcoat. 

          "I'll be back very late."

          Gleb burst back inside. "Let me come with you!"

          His mother shook her head violently. "Absolutely not!"

          Gleb ignored her. "Father, please - "

          His father held up his hand. "Your mother is right. You will stay here." Gleb nearly protested, but the look on his father's face stopped him. The older man stared at him for a moment. He must have been satisfied with what he saw, for he simply nodded at his son before he slipped away.

          "Be careful," Gleb's mother called after him quietly. 

          "Where is Father going?" Gleb asked.

          His mother did not answer. She returned to the dishes mechanically, her eyes unfocused on the task. 

          Gleb stepped closer to her. "Mother - "

          "Not now, Gleb," she snapped. She scrubbed the nearly spotless plate in her hand furiously.

          Gleb stared at her, his concern rising. If his mother was like this...

          The dull throb in Gleb's chest spiked, and he couldn't stop a groan from escaping. He sank into a nearby chair, clutching at his chest.

          His mother looked up sharply. "Darling?"

          He didn't hear her. The pain grew more intense. He grabbed the table to steady himself.  _Go!_ A frightening instinct screamed.  _Go!_

          Gleb's mother hurried to his side, but he pushed her off and ran for the door. 

          "Where are you going?" she cried, chasing after him.

          "Out," he growled before slamming the door behind him.

          The urge was unstoppable. Gleb could do nothing but give in to the need to  _run_. He sprinted down the streets of Yekaterinburg, not knowing his destination but chasing it frantically. He had never felt such a pull. An overwhelming terror consumed him, drove him. The sense of impending danger filled him, dragging him towards his unknown destination.

          He soon found where he was going. A large house loomed in front of him. The guards and the fence surrounding it made it look more like a fortress than a home. "Keep in line," a gruff voice called. Gleb ran towards the source, taking care to stay unseen. He crouched behind a bush and peered into the courtyard. His heart lurched at the sight before him. The voice he had heard belonged to a soldier, one of several marching what Gleb knew to be a family towards the house. Fear was etched onto their noble faces.

          All but one.

          The youngest daughter held herself proudly. The only indication that she shared her family's terror was the slight tremble of her fingers as she stroked the small dog in her arms. A spark of begrudging admiration flared in Gleb at the sight.

          And then he saw her eyes.

          Gleb sank into the snow, dazed. "It can't be," he breathed. It was too far to be certain, he reasoned. Just another girl with brilliantly blue eyes. They were common enough. He'd learned that by now. If he could see them clearly, he'd know for certain that those eyes were not the same that had haunted his dreams for years.

          Fate could not possibly have made his soulmate a Romanov.

          Gleb tried to catch another glimpse to reassure himself, but it was too late. All he saw was her head held erect before a soldier - his father - shoved her inside, slamming the door behind them both. 

          A wave of rage flooded Gleb. He rushed to his feet and took a few steps towards the house before catching himself in horror. For a brief moment, he had wanted - needed - to kill his own father. Before he could consider what that meant, the pain in his chest flared once more. This time, he fought it.  _They deserve it_ , he repeated over and over in his mind.  _They deserve it_. Still, he found himself inching closer to the house. His heart begged him to charge inside and rescue her, but he knew he could not. He would not stand in the way of what must happen. 

          But still...

          His entire body shook with the struggle within, his mind and heart dueling at a blinding speed. He had to save her. It would be useless. She was innocent. What of the innocents suffering because of her family? But did it have to end like this?

          A crack pierced the night, followed in quick succession by many others. Gleb roared as a pain more excruciating that he could ever explain ripped through him. He collapsed, his vision as white as the snow around him. The last thing he noticed before darkness claimed him was an awful, eerie silence.

 


	2. A New Wind Blows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected meeting doesn't exactly go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love! I apologize for the huge gap between updates. I was in a show and have started rehearsals for another, so life has been rather hectic. Here is the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

            _I will not miss patrols_. Gleb shivered, cold despite the thick coat he wore. While being amongst the people was beneficial to a man in his position – particularly when it came to identifying potential troublemakers – he would not mind when it was no longer his duty to go out so regularly. He smiled. The promotion was all but complete. His hard work and fervent dedication had been noticed and rewarded. What he was about to do indicated that.

            Proudly, he walked up to the podium and scanned the assembled crowd. He held out his hands to quiet their cheers and yells. “We hear you, comrades! The revolution hears you!” He let his passion for the cause fill him as he spoke of the long journey both behind and to come. The hatred and disgust he felt towards the Romanovs was evident in every syllable he uttered detailing their tyranny. Pride swelled in his chest as he announced that St. Petersburg had been reclaimed by the people as Leningrad. He continued to speak, urging his fellow Russians to continue striving towards their common purpose of a fair Russia with a bright future for all. He concluded his speech and left the podium, energized and confident. It was an honor for him to speak on such an important occasion, and he was sure he had done his country and superiors proud.

            Gleb walked through the dispersing crowd. The snatches of praise for the new order made him smile, at least until he caught the muttered condemnation that followed. He glanced around, but he could not pinpoint the perpetrators. They stopped talking the moment he moved his head towards them, except to praise the new government. Frustrated, he resumed his path towards headquarters. He would come prepared tomorrow. With more men at his command, he would be able to squash any dissention easily.

            A loud pop followed by a terrified “No!” pulled him from his thoughts. He looked for the source and saw a woman huddled on the ground. “It was a truck backfiring, comrade. That’s all it was.” He picked up a nearby broom he assumed was hers, thrown aside in her fright. He approached her carefully and helped her stand. He could feel her trembling. “Those days are over, neighbor against neighbor. There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore.”

            She finally looked up, and Gleb’s heart lurched. _It was her_. The eyes he had dreamed about all those years ago were right in front of him. His soulmate was _here_. He had found her. He couldn’t help but drink her in. Those glorious eyes stared into his, and he searched their depths for some hint of recognition, some sign that she felt the same awe and joy that he did. But her eyes stayed wide with terror. Stunned, he released her. “You’re shaking,” he commented stupidly. He berated himself silently for his idiocy. _Of all the opening lines, and you go with that, Vaganov? Well done._  He cleared his throat, determined to salvage the moment. “There’s a tea shop just steps from here. Let me – ”

            She shook her head. “Thank you.”

            The girl tried to take the broom from him, but he held on. “What’s your hurry?” He could not let her go, not so soon.

            “I can’t lose this job. They’re not easy to come by.” She slipped the broom from his grasp. “But thank you.” She walked away but paused and looked over her shoulder at him. She smiled shyly before melting into the crowd.

            Gleb could not move. He could hardly speak. He gestured erratically, trying to communicate what his mouth refused to say. Finally, his tongue shook off its stupor. “I’m here every day!” he called after her. He groaned. _Well done, Vaganov. Charming. “You’re shaking.” So clever._

            _She’s getting away_ , his heart cut in.

             He took off in the direction he thought she’d gone, just barely managing to keep his movements from betraying just how frantic he was. He had to find her again, to be certain… _There!_ He caught a glimpse of her bright hair. With a grin, he increased his pace. “Comrade!”

            The girl turned around. Gleb’s rapidly beating heart dropped. It wasn’t her. The young woman stared at him, clearly terrified. He shook his head. “My apologies,” he muttered. He nodded curtly, and she scampered off.

            With a final glance around the square, Gleb set out for headquarters, berating himself for his hesitation. Now he had no way of finding her again. The idea of waiting for fate to bring them back to each other chafed him.

            _And yet_ , he thought as he entered the building, _it wasn’t entirely hopeless_. Seeing her that morning had proven one very crucial thing.

            His soulmate was not a Romanov.

            She was just an ordinary young woman who was alive and somewhere in Leningrad. _I will find you again_ , he promised silently, _I swear it_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Glebka... so clueless in so many ways.
> 
> As always, reviews and kudos are very welcome and appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This will most likely be expanded into a multichapter fic if there's enough interest. I'm working on the next chapter and will try to update regularly. Reviews and constructive criticism are deeply appreciated. 
> 
> There are many fabulous soulmate fics in this fandom and others, but I have tried to come up with my own rules for a soulmate universe while staying true to the overall concept. I can't explain what those rules are without spoilers, but I will be happy to explain when I have finished. That being said, this will largely follow the musical with minor changes until the end.
> 
> If you like this fic and would like to see something else with this pairing, I would be happy to take requests! Can't get enough of writing these two.


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